Low, mid, high. It doesn’t get much simpler than that. It makes sense from a player’s perspective, because most golfers know instinctively whether they want to hit the ball higher or lower or in-between.

Black Tie is painted black, Red Tie is red, and White Tie is white. The Matrix Flight System became widely available in early February.

To make it sound something like a spy game, Matrix uses the designation M3 for Black Tie, Q3 for Red Tie, and X3 for White Tie. But golfers don’t have to know that. They just have to identify their intended flight pattern.

How does Matrix provide three contrasting trajectories in its Flight System? The company uses three very different shaft profiles for three different launch characteristics.

Shaft manufacturers today can build shafts that increase or decrease golf ball spin. So the Black Tie shaft (low trajectory) produces less spin, while the White Tie shaft (high trajectory) produces more spin. The Red Tie shaft is in the middle.

Want to compare these shafts to previous Matrix shafts? The White Tie is similar to the Xcon, the Red Tie is a continuation of the HD6 and HD7, and the Black Tie is a tour-spin shaft that is intended for highly skilled players.

“We feel we can provide the right shaft for everybody,” said Matrix executive vice president Chris Elson. “We’ve tried to simplify the Flight System so that all golfers can grasp the concept. There is no reason that golf should be too complicated to understand.”

Matrix has yet to become a household name, but it does make exceptionally consistent shafts. Matrix is the stock shaft in the new Super S line of drivers, fairway woods and hybrids from Adams Golf. The same goes for the new Exotics XCG6 line from Tour Edge.

One of Matrix’s new projects is a graphite putter shaft, called PZ-125. Graphite putter shafts are rarely used by golfers, but Matrix officials believe the PZ-125 will win converts. The PZ-125 is technically a multi-material composite shaft. The idea behind the shaft is to stabilize the putter head while providing precise feel and feedback to the golfer.

Matrix is attempting to provide science that humans can understand. What a concept.